Page 116 of The Secret of Drulea Cottage

“Yer laughing?! I don’ think anything I just said was humorous!” Briony snapped.

But Santiago’s lips merely widened into a giant grin. “Oh, Briony. You thinkthatwas when I fell in love with you?”

“’Tw-’Twas na then?”

Santiago shook his head, still beaming. “What do you think I wanted to tell you the first time you saved me? If only my sister and yer friends had shown up a little later.”

“You—” But Briony didn’t have time to finish, for his mouth was already upon hers. And after that, all thought vanished in the wake of a steadily rising fire in her blood. The kiss was slow, sweet, and so much more than just a kiss. With it, Santiago conveyed not only the sincerity of his affection but also the depth of his trust. He was choosing to trust her character even in the midst of the unknown. Even in the midst of his fear.

And that just made her love him all the more.

The rest of Briony’s doubts and anxieties fell away at that moment.All this time, I thought Santiago could never love a monster like me. But maybe…just maybe, I’m na a monster after all. And if Santiago can still love me after knowing all o’ what I am, then I should start loving myself too.

When they broke apart, Briony found herself smiling from ear to ear.

But there was still something that needed to be addressed. “Santiago, about the charges against you… I know you could never have tried to kill the king, so why did the commodore say you did? And why did you na deny it?”

Santiago’s face fell flat, and he tightened his hand into a fist. He didn’t say anything at first, and Briony worried she had upset him. But this was a conversation long overdue.

If we’re going to have any sort o’ future together, the time fer secrets is over.

“Aye, you’re right to ask. All right, I’ll tell you everything. No more hiding. No more lies.”

Playing the Hero

Briony listened to Santiago’s tale, from its chaotic beginning, to the heart-wrenching betrayal, to the difficult position he now found himself in of having to lie to protect his sister. So many questions suddenly found their answers, but as he concluded, Briony realized there was something Santiago didn’t know.

And she dreaded having to tell him. “What does Lucia think o’ Captain Costa?”

Santiago frowned. “She doesn’t know anything of his true nature. She still thinks him an honorable man. If she knew the viper he truly is, it would tear her apart.”

He sighed, his face full of sadness. “She’s a flirt of the worst sort, but with Costa, it has always seemed like something more. Something real. Why do you ask?”

“Well, after you got arrested, I ran into Adriano, and he told me that Costa tried to shoot you during the storm. I assumed that must be connected to the charges against you. I tried to find Lucia to see if she could help me prove yer innocence, but then…” Briony grimaced.

“What happened?”

“He-He kissed her.”

“He what?!” Santiago practically shouted, his protective instincts taking over. “I have to get to hernow. Who knows what sorts of lies Costa has been filling her head with since I got arrested, but I have to get her away from him so I can talk some sense into her.”

“But you just said ’twould hurt her if she knew the truth.”

“That was before I knew how serious things had become between them. A broken heart is one thing…” Santiago gasped, and his expression changed to panic-stricken. “Briony, what if he—You don’t think he—”

Briony clasped Santiago’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, knowing exactly what he couldn’t bring himself to say. “Let’s na jump to any conclusions just yet. Do you know where Lucia is?”

Santiago took a deep breath and nodded. “When Costa got me out of the brig, he told me Lucia was already aboard theSão Nicolau. He was going to use the storm to get out of Cardoso’s reach…”

Briony put a hand on Santiago’s arm when he trailed off. “What is it?”

Santiago gave her a rueful smile. “I just remembered the next thing he said. It seemed entirely mad at the time, but now I realize he was partially right. And that means I owe you my thanks.”

“Fer what?”

“He said you created the storm as a diversion so we could escape.”

“Captain Costa did want me to make a storm fer you,” Briony said with a scowl, thinking of the unpleasant memory, “but I did na actually get the chance to do it. ’Twas Niall’s doing, na mine.”